A world of soapAmber Chesbrough is bringing the soap to downtown Nashua.

05/20/10

Chesbrough officially opened The Soap Bar at 111 Main St. this past weekend.

She’s been working with soap for a couple years now and owns three soap businesses. Most of her previous work had been online until now.

“Every kind of soap you could possibly imagine,” Chesbrough said The Soap Bar will offer. She mentioned fragrance soap, pet soap, organic soap, shaving soap, goat’s milk soap and soap shaped like food. She has soap from all over the country and Canada.

Chesbrough is also featuring a “Made in New England” display with products made in the region.

Chesbrough, who has lived in Nashua her entire life, said she wanted to take her soap to a retail setting and found downtown Nashua to be the right fit. She’s working with 1,200 square feet: “We have a lot of soap.”
“I know downtown has a strong presence,” Chesbrough said.

Chesbrough began seriously thinking about starting a retail business after the holidays this past year. It was her biggest year in business and she said it felt like the right time to take the next step. She worked with soap as a hobby for a while but after she left her previous job in retail, her fiancé kept pushing her to make it a real business. Driving down Main Street, she saw an open space and pursued it.

“I like the creativity involved,” Chesbrough said. “There are a lot of incredible things you can do with soap. The possibilities are endless.”
Chesbrough said soap can be a special gift that won’t end up unused in the bottom of a closet.

The Soap Bar will offer two new fresh cut “Soaps du Jour” each day costing $5 per inch. The shop will also put together gift baskets — customers can pick out items and staff will piece together the basket for a small fee.

Visit www.bollasoaps.com for information on one of Chesbrough’s online businesses. Call 577-5511.